Faculty Featured: Arizona farmers adjust to water restrictions as Colorado River cuts continue
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YUMA, AZ (AZFamily) — The Colorado River makes farming possible in Yuma County, but years of drought and ongoing restrictions are forcing growers to adjust.
Lake Mead, the river’s largest reservoir, is about 30% full and federal officials have now said that shortages will last through 2026. Arizona depends on the river for one-third of its water, and with the restrictions, the state will go without 18% of that share.
Tom Davis with the Yuma County Water Users’ Association said Yuma farms have not been hit as hard. The association manages irrigation canals across the region and delivers water to customers, including farmers.
“We happen to be the senior rights on the Colorado River along with the Colorado Indian Tribe in Parker, so in that case, we would be the last ones to get hit,” Davis said.
Even without direct cuts, the drought has raised costs. Less rain and higher expenses for conservation make water more expensive. Davis said farmers are adapting by finding ways to use less water.
“They’re doing less summer crops, more efficient in our methods of applying water, more efficient in delivering water through our canal systems,” he said.
Davis says the water association tries to be as efficient as they can by reducing the water they use and implementing new technologies that improve water delivery.
“We manage our water so much better, so we divert less water, we spill less water,” said Davis.
University of Arizona professor Karl Flessa said central Arizona faces the biggest impact. Farmers in Pinal County depend on the Central Arizona Project, which is absorbing most of the cutbacks.
“We have already seen an impact on Arizona agriculture because some of the farmers in Pinal County have already had their water cut,” Flessa said.
He warned that the outlook is grim. The current drought plan expires in 2026. States have only months to reach a new deal that will shape the next 20 years.
“Let’s face it, a new operating agreement is not going to create new water. It is only to find a new way to share the pain of the decreased water we are getting in our future. I suspect restrictions will become more severe as time goes by,” said Flessa.
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